| | | | | | What's news: Karla Sofía Gascón becomes the first openly trans woman nominated for an Oscar for best actress. CNN is laying off 200 people. Sean 'Diddy' Combs has filed a $50m defamation suit against Nexstar and an accuser. David Leitch is in talks to direct Ocean’s 14. A&E is rebooting Duck Dynasty. Amazon has greenlit a series based on the Rise of the Empress novels. — Abid Rahman
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Oscars 2025 Nominations ►🏆 Félicitations! 🏆 French film Emilia Pérez leads the 2025 Oscar nominations, which were revealed Thursday morning. Jacques Audiard's film scored a total of 13 noms, beating out The Brutalist and Wicked, which tied with 10 noms apiece. A Complete Unknown and Conclave followed, with eight mentions each. Among the studios, Netflix leads with 16 total noms, followed by A24 with 14, Universal with 13, Focus Features with 12 and Searchlight with 10. The nominees.
—Unstoppable. Emilia Pérez is continuing to break records this awards season. The Netflix film picked up 13 Oscar nominations including best actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), best director (Jacques Audiard), best supporting actress (Zoe Saldaña) adapted screenplay, music (original score) makeup and hairstyling, cinematography and best picture. It also earned France a best international feature film nomination, making Emilia Pérez the most nominated film not in the English language at the Oscars, ever. The story.
—Vamos! Karla Sofía Gascón, the Spanish-born star of Emilia Pérez, became the first openly transgender performer to be so honored with a best actress Oscar nom. The only known previous trans acting nominee, Elliott Page, got the nod in 2008 for Juno, twelve years before revealing his gender identity. The story.
—Justice for Payal! This year, the Academy nominated only one female director: Coralie Fargeat for The Substance. The other nominees in the category are Sean Baker (Anora), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) and Brady Corbet (The Brutalist). Payal Kapadia, who directed All We Imagine as Light, was omitted from the lineup on Thursday. Fargeat also received a best original screenplay nomination. The story.
—Look at me mom! Fernanda Torres' mom must be so proud. On Thursday, the star of Walter Salles' period drama I’m Still Here, repeated her mother Fernanda Montenegro’s historic achievement from 1999 (for Central Station) becoming only the second Brazilian to be nominated by the Academy in the best actress category. (Ms. Montenegro lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love.) Torres is up against Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, Wicked's Cynthia Erivo, Mikey Madison for Anora, and Demi Moore for The Substance in the category. Earlier this month, Torres was the surprise winner of the best actress Golden Globe in the drama category. The story.
—Ejam! The list of the five films in the running for the best international feature film Oscar includes one first-ever nominee in the category, namely Latvia. Its debutant in the international Oscar race is Flow, an animated feature from director Gints Zilbalodis that follows a flood-displaced cat who must team up with other animals in search of survival and a new home. Flow is also in the running for the best animated feature Academy Award. The story.
—Long time coming. Anora star Yura Borisov scored a best supporting actor nom on Thursday, and in so doing became the first Russian actor to earn an Oscar nomination in a performance category since 1977, when Mikhail Baryshnikov was nominated for The Turning Point. The Russian to win an Oscar was Lila Kedrova in 1964 for Zorba the Greek. The story.
—"We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry." On Wednesday, the Academy sent a letter to its full membership about the upcoming Oscars ceremony and how it will honor L.A. amid its wildfire crisis. Additionally, the Academy has announced that the ceremony will “move away” from live performances of Oscar-nominated songs and will instead focus on the songwriters. The story. |
Baldoni's Lawyer Once Sued Him for Allegedly Stealing a Script ►Previously unreported. Justin Baldoni’s high-profile litigator Bryan Freedman has been on the warpath to defend his client in the evolving drama over It Ends With Us. Yet Freedman, one of the entertainment industry’s most divisive attorneys, has gone after Baldoni, too. THR's Gary Baum reports that in a previously unreported 2021 case that’s since been settled, the lawyer represented a person with cystic fibrosis who’d appeared on the Baldoni-produced and -hosted docuseries My Last Days. Freedman claimed Baldoni’s 2019 directorial debut Five Feet Apart thoroughly ripped off his client Travis Flores’ own tear-jerking romance script Three Feet Distance. The story.
—Suit filed. Sean 'Diddy' Combs has filed a defamation lawsuit against NewsNation parent company Nexstar and Courtney Burgess, who was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors to testify in front of a grand jury considering additional charges against the rap mogul over alleged videos depicting sexual encounters involving him and other celebrities. Combs, in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, claims Burgess’ interviews in which he states that he possesses videos showing the singer sexually assaulting celebrities, some of whom appear underage, may prevent him from receiving a fair trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He seeks at least $50m in the lawsuit, which also names Nexstar for amplifying the accusations across multiple interviews. The story.
—Strategy shift. CNN has announced major layoffs and a new strategic plan, in a post-election maneuver meant to help transform the cable channel during a challenging time for the media business. CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced the news to staff Thursday morning, adding that the company would cut about 6 percent of jobs, or about 200 people. He adds that the company is actively recruiting for hundreds of new job, with about 100 expected to be filled in the next few months, thanks to a $70m investment from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. Among the changes are a new streaming service and also plans to grow its digital business with new subscriber offerings. The story.
—🏆 Congrats! 🏆 The 2025 GLAAD Media Awards nominations have been revealed. Wicked, Queer, Love Lies Bleeding, Mean Girls and My Old Ass are among the nominees in the outstanding film — wide theatrical release category. Joining those three are Cuckoo, Drive-Away Dolls and Problemista. GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, also announced nominees in TV, music, journalism, Broadway and podcast categories. In the TV categories, notable nominees include comedy nominees Abbott Elementary, Ghosts, Hacks, Loot, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Shrinking, Somebody Somewhere and What We Do in the Shadows; drama nominees 9-1-1: Lone Star, The Chi, Doctor Who, Found, Interview With the Vampire, Star Trek: Discovery and The Umbrella Academy. The nominees. |
Robert Eggers Reteams with Focus for Werewolf Thriller ►Creature comforts. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Robert Eggers' next feature project. After tackling vampires with Nosferatu, the filmmaker is taking on werewolves with Werwulf. Eggers wrote Werwulf with Sjón, who co-wrote Viking saga The Northman with the filmmaker. While details are scarce, sources say the story is set in 13th century England. Focus Features, which released and financed Nosferatu, is backing Werwulf. The company has dated the thriller for a North America release on Christmas Day, 2026. Focus is hoping to repeat the holiday release strategy for Nosferatu that proved so lucrative. The story.
—🎭 Filling out 🎭 Paramount has set its cast for director Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s forthcoming feature adaptation of the YA novel Children of Blood and Bone. Slated to hit theaters Jan. 15, 2027, the film stars Thuso Mbedu as Zelie; Amandla Stenberg as Amari; Damson Idris as Inan; and Tosin Cole as Tzain. Based on author Tomi Adeyemi’s 2018 best-selling book, the film centers on an African fantasy kingdom where a young woman (Mbedu) and her brother (Cole) seek to reclaim the magic that was violently stolen from their people by a vicious king (Ejiofor). Rounding out the cast are Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Lashana Lynch and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Additionally, Regina King, Diaana Babnicova and Bukky Bakray are in negotiations for roles. The story.
—Helmer found. THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch has the scoop on Rob Jabbaz signing up to direct Crossed. The feature is based on the Garth Ennis comic book that takes place in a pandemic-stricken world, in which those who catch a disease are marked with a cross-like rash on their faces. The Boys and Preacher creator penned the script for the feature too. Jabbaz is behind the Taiwanese horror film The Sadness, which dealt with a virus that turned people violent — in a unique spin on the zombie drama. The film earned strong reviews and won best horror film and best director at Fantastic Fest. The story.
—Coming to America. Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2, the second installment of Kevin Costner’s ambitious western film series, will have its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film, which had its world premiere last summer in Venice, comes on the heels of Chapter 1, which, in turn, had its world premiere last spring at in Cannes. Reportedly, the combined budget for the two Horizon films was $100m, $38m of which was fronted by Costner himself. The first grossed a disappointing $38m worldwide, which threw the release plans for the second installment — and Costner’s hopes for making third and fourth installments — into question. The story. |
DiCaprio, Scorsese in Talks for 'Devil in the White City' From 20th Century ►Moving forward. 20th Century Studios has picked up the long-gestating feature adaptation of The Devil in the White City. The film is in development at the studio and has Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star and Martin Scorsese in talks to direct. It is based on author Erik Larson’s 2003 true-crime nonfiction book of the same name. This iteration of the project is in early stages and does not currently have a script. Larson’s book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America is set in Chicago at the end of the 19th century and focuses on World’s Fair architect Daniel Burnham and serial killer H.H. Holmes. The story.
—You son of a bitch, I'm in. David Leitch — the stuntman turned director behind John Wick and The Fall Guy — is in talks to direct a new Ocean’s movie. The latest film in the heist movie franchise is a sequel to 2007's Ocean's Thirteen and is expected to see the return of George Clooney as Danny Ocean, with Clooney’s Smokehouse banner behind the Warner Bros. project. Brad Pitt, who worked with his former stunt double Leitch on Bullet Train, is also expected to return. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Amazon has acquired a trio of environmental docs. Groundswell, Common Ground and Kiss the Ground all come from directors Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, who head the Big Picture Ranch banner. The Woody Harrelson-narrated Kiss the Ground focuses on scientists, farmers, and environmentalists fighting to regenerate the health of the world’s topsoil, while Common Ground is the follow-up to that film, with an emphasis on farmers and narration from Laura Dern and appearances from stars such as Jason Momoa. Groundswell will open up the scope of the conversation to a global perspective, looking at how to reverse climate change and species loss on an ecosystem-by-ecosystem basis. The story.
—All set. The lineup for the SXSW film and TV festival has been announced with new projects from Seth Rogen, Ben Affleck, Jenna Ortega and Nicole Kidman set to premiere at the Austin fest. Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Hollywood-set comedy series The Studio will kick off SXSW as the opening night TV screening. Elsewhere in the Headliner lineup is Affleck’s The Accountant 2, the sequel to the 2016 movie about a CPA who does the accounting for criminal organizations, and A24 titles Death of a Unicorn, which stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who discover a unicorn. Flying Lotus movie Ash; Christopher Landon’s latest Blumhouse title, Drop; and Mimi Cave’s latest, Holland , starring Nicole Kidman, are set for the fest. The lineup. |
'White Lotus' Nabs Early S4 Pickup From HBO ►Quick as you like. Four weeks ahead of the show’s third season premiere, HBO has renewed The White Lotus for a fourth installment. The Thailand-set season three is set to debut Feb. 16, two-plus years after season two. The series’ first two seasons have won 15 Emmys — including two acting honors for Jennifer Coolidge and writing and directing wins for creator Mike White in season one — and brought in strong viewing numbers for HBO. Season two, which aired in the fall of 2022, averaged 10.1m viewers per episode across all platforms, a 50 percent improvement on the first installment. The story.
—A new dynasty. A&E is rebooting Duck Dynasty. The new show, titled Duck Dynasty: The Revival, will once again follow the Robertson family as Willie and Korie Robertson focus on plotting the future for the family’s Duck Commander business and watch their own children deal with the challenges of adulthood. A&E has ordered two 10-episode seasons of the show, the first of which is set to premiere in the summer. The revival will debut some eight years after the original series aired its last episode in March 2017 after 11 seasons in five years. The show was A&E’s — and all of cable TV’s — biggest unscripted series in its heyday, hitting a high of 11.8m viewers for the season four premiere in August 2013. The story.
—Leaning into fantasy. Amazon Prime Video has greenlit a series based on Julie C. Dao’s Rise of the Empress novels. The drama — which counts Viola Davis, Forest Whitaker and Gemma Chan among its executive producers — is set in a “fantastical ancient Asian empire,” per the show’s logline, and centers on a peasant girl named Xifeng who, backed by a vengeful sorceress, vies to win the heart of the heir to the throne. Crystal Liu and James Wong will serve as co-showrunners on the series, which comes from Amazon MGM Studios, JuVee Productions, and Significant Productions. The story.
—Five-year anniversary. Netflix's Love Is Blind will be back with season eight on Valentine’s Day. The streamer also renewed the series through season 10, they announced Wednesday. Season eight’s release will coincide with the show’s fifth anniversary, after the reality dating series became an early pandemic hit of 2020. The eighth installment will feature an all-new group of singles from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vanessa and Nick Lachey will return as hosts. The story. |
Film Review: 'Companion' ►"Deliciously twisted." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Drew Hancock's Companion. Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Rupert Friend and Harvey Guillén star in this sci-fi thriller film about a weekend getaway that goes violently wrong. The review.
—"Makes it harder for the franchise to live long and prosper." Frank reviews Olatunde Osunsanmi's Star Trek: Section 31. Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh reprises her role from Paramount+'s Star Trek: Discovery in the franchise's first non-theatrical film. The review.
—"Too ridiculous to be much fun." THR India's Anupama Chopra reviews S. Shankar's Game Changer. The lavish action movie stars RRR's Ram Charan as an upstanding Indian Administrative Service officer overseeing an election rampant with corruption. The review.
In other news...
—Timothée Chalamet receives help from his look-alikes to host SNL promo
—Finn Wolfhard tries to escape killer in directorial debut Hell of a Summer trailer
—Age of Disclosure UFO doc trailer touts "biggest discovery in human history"
—Drop trailer: Meghann Fahy gets threats to kill Brandon Sklenar on their first date
—Yellowjackets S3 trailer goes manic for survivors of plane crash
—L.A. Kings hosting celebrity hockey game to benefit wildfire victims
—Netflix to open restaurant in Las Vegas
—Nine Inch Nails announce summer tour
—Apple Music taps industry veteran Mika El-Baz to lead PR
—Bernadette O’Brien, Emmy-nominated costumer on MacGyver, dies at 90
—Lynn Ban, star of Netflix’s Bling Empire and jewelry designer, dies at 51
What else we're reading...
—Alexandra Topping digs into Prince Harry's groundbreaking legal victory against Rupert Murdoch's U.K. tabloid The Sun [Guardian]
—Geoffrey Bunting believes Netflix's Hirokazu Koreeda drama Asura is the first best show of 2025, but is wondering why the streamer is burying it [Slate]
—Andrea González-Ramírez looks at what Trump’s gender executive order means for trans people [The Cut]
—After the bizarre cross border abduction of a young actor, Feliz Solomon and Clarence Leong report that China has called on neighboring countries to crack down on scams [WSJ]
—Helen Holmes reflects on the popularity of The Rizzler and the Costco Guys, and worries about the creeping childishness of American pop culture [NYT]
Today...
...in 2003, Ricky Gervais’ comedy The Office made its way stateside, where it premiered on BBC America. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Mariska Hargitay (61), Richard Dean Anderson (75), S. Craig Zahler (52), Ewen Bremner (53), Mark Boal (52), Tiffani Thiessen (51), Jack Reynor (33), Julia Jones (44), Gail O'Grady (62), Richard Roxburgh (63), David Patrick Kelly (74), Sonita Henry (48), Lindsey Kraft (42), Adam Hagenbuch (34), Chanel Cresswell (35), Geoffrey Wigdor (43), Léa Drucker (53), Derek Cianfrance (51), Boris McGiver (63), Doutzen Kroes (40), Ariadna Gil (56), Mekenna Melvin (40), April Pearson (36), Lee Jeong-eun (55), Robin Zander (72) |
| Barry Michael Cooper, the screenwriter behind the influential “Harlem Trilogy” of films New Jack City, Sugar Hill and Above the Rim and the man who coined the term New Jack Swing, has died. He was 66. The obituary. |
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